St. Landry democrat., 1887-07-09


been neglected, or even entirely overlooked.
But, as l said before, the people Of Lydia
wondered where Croesus got his scads.
Is He was not plumber. unless he ran lab
Soratory under an assumed name, which was
mot probable, as his own was assuming
ienough
! He was not an ice dealer, nor yet the en-
tgineer of a soda fountain, for in his day these
businesses had never been thought OF.
Neither was he an alderman, for dealing in
railway franchises and rights of way is an
industry of modern growth.
We cannot, either, cast the responsibility
of his having accumulated surplus upon
the fact of his being newspaper editor.
But still it is certain that CrGsus did attain
great wealth. and he did it while engaged in
the comparatively unremunerative occupa-
ton of king.
The information we have about him is not
particularly reliable as the modern method
of writing autobiographies and selling them
at ten dollars for two volumes bound IN calf
was not in vogue in Crcesus' time.
A gentleman named Herodotus, though,
tells us that he derived large portion OF hls
income from his mines, and some more from
his conquests.
He carried on his conquest interests as an
adjunct to the monarchy business.
Croesus' mines were probably in Nevada,
although Herodotus does not say SO, and tits
quite likely that he bought the stock when
it Was depressed by stories that the mines
were salted Whether Cresus himself orig
mated the stories or not, am unable to say.
He would also borrow money from the
people he conquered, and then he would
forget the amount which made it impossl-
BILE to return any. His creditors were too
bashful to remind him of the state of his &C
count, and these sums naturally went to
swell his balance at the First National Bank.
Crnsus engaged in these enterprises for
revenue only.
A gentleman named Scion seriously Of
Tended Cresus once. This gentleman's other
!, name is not given, but we will call him Scion
Ehrenbreitstein for short. This man had
acquired a double-jointed reputation for his
smart remarks at debating societies and po-
itical banquets, and it was considered the
proper caper to invite him 10 things of this
kind. Scion presumed on his popularity to
saw things which no one else would have
dared to say.
One afternoon, having been invited to take
tea with Croesus and to meet the phenomenal
pitcher Just secured for the Lydian Blue
Stockings at cost of $4,000 Scion thought
he would shoot one of his smart quips at his
royal host Just to show the baseball prodigy
how solid he was with crowned heads.
Croesus was accustomed to have planked
shad early in the season, and the first straw
berries brought to town always found their
way to his table. Scion thought he would
exhibit his smartness and at the same time
rebuke Crrsus for these extravagances, and
show him the vanity of attempting to ex-
tract happiness from early Strawberries and
planked shad
So Scion told Croesus that no man should
be called happy until he was dead.
Crosus paid no attention to this remark at
the time, other than to order Solon's imme-
diate execution, and so expedite his bliss
but subsequently it appeared to rankle in
his bosom with very high rank, for one
day, when he was being roasted to death, he
remarked several times, in a shrill staccato
voice, 20, Solon!'
It is said that Cyrus (also extensively en-
gagged in the monarch business), who was
superintending the basting, heard him make
this remark, and was SO affected thereby that
he put the fires out, bathed cresus' burns
with goose oil and presented him with SIG
suit of clothes
This may be doubted, however. I think
myself that Cyrus released him on the plea
of an insurance agent, who had policy Of
s15OOOO on Croesus' life, and who offered
CYRUS 81, 900 to postpone the roasting, as q
burning to death would in all probability
prove fatal, and cause premature ripening
of the policy.
You may think it strange that Cyrus
should be SO ungentlemanly as to fry
brother king in SO unconventional manner
Int understand that he had promised tt
make it hot for Cresus and Of course hi!
royal word could not be broken.
He accordingly resolved to burn him t
5aath in cold blood but relented as above
aia+ad VIM. H. SIvITER.
Deceived.